SeaWorld Sucks

"We have created an extraordinary opportunity for people to get an up-close, personal experience and be inspired and connect with marine life in a way they cannot do anywhere else in the world"
Jim Atchison, President SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment

I think Atchison is a lying corporate hack.  SeaWorld is about charging stupid people $78.95 (hey, kids 3-9 are only $68.95) a shot to sell them sugar laden fat saturated crap, and plop their fat asses in seats to watch Orcas in tutus do circus tricks which they learned to keep from going insane.  SeaWorld corporate is already blaming it on Ms. Brancheau for not "following protocol."  God forbid anyone look to the root, a bull yanked from the wild, stuck in a bathtub taught to do tricks, kills three along the way.  Maybe they ought to let him go ?  Ya' kidding, he has fathered eleven calves in captivity; no way he goes free.

From 2002 to 2006, we spent about a hundred hours on Monterey Bay with Heidi & Steph from Sanctuary Cruises.  http://www.sanctuarycruises.com/  That's Ian above, the blond kid in the bow with the SeaWorld sweatshirt (from our one and only trip), looking the other way as a common dolphin surfaced under his nose.  I am sure he was looking at another not in frame.  Point is that Atchison wrong: there are plenty of places where you can get close enough to be awestruck.  The notion that SeaWorld is unique is fucking laughable.  It is a canned, processed experience spoon fed to lemmings.
Ian has a great eye and a fine appreciation for the natural world.  He is curious, knowledgeable and quiet.  One of the few things I am absolutely sure of is that had he spent 100 hours sitting in a plastic SeaWorld seat sucking on sugar laden drinks rather than in the bow of Sanctuary with the wind in his hair and the salt spray in his nose, he would not have that eye.
Yeah, we went to SeaWorld once.  The San Diego outlet.  It was a freebie from a client who got a good settlement and decided to go to Hawaii instead.  It was a nice gesture, but the trip sucked.  The coolest thing we saw were bottlenose dolphins from the balcony of the hotel, just along the surfline.  Very cool.  You can see the same thing from Baker beach in SF three days out of seven if you know what to look for.  When the striped bass are running its like the fourth of July.

Connect with Marine life ?  Wanna see Orcas ?  Get real.  http://www.youtube.om/watch?v=5uCiDbdjAIg  They come, give you a gift, and leave on their terms.  Be inspired and up close ?  You bet.  For a hell of a lot less money and calories per day.  Corny home movie from seven years ago; sorry, but the video is pretty cool, apologies for the quality on the upload, full version would not go.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8hw4G1Oe0o

Wednesday, five miles in the am, then MH flow class.  Hammies shot from 32kg swings day before, so shaky but ok.
Thursday, 2.5 miles in am and TRX core work.  Evening, 5 comes over, goes like this:
Swing ladder:
10 16kg, 20kg, 24kg up, 30 sec rest,
Snatches down, 60 sec rest
5x
3 60 sec plank
16kg single leg rows
5+5 24kg press, to 3+3 32kg push press
3x
Not a long workout, but needed.
Nothing today, downtime.
SeaWorld sucks.  Blows.  Big time.